TechEd05 day 1: Learn-Solve-Grow

What a day!

First, we get to see the new IBM Thinkpad Tablet PC (woohoo!) at the keynote. Then, I amble on down to the pavilion booth, only to hear "We have Thinkpads for the labs!"  Using the Thinkpads is pretty cool. They're light, and the keyboard is fantastic (I'm writing this entry on one right now). The screen is bright, but seems to be a little small. It is a 12" screen though, so I am not sure why I'm suffering this optical "illusion".

The Hands on Labs have been anything but exciting, perhaps a handful (3, 4) people per shift, but no more than 12 total. We are definitely suffering from first-day neglect (where attendees go do the "fun" or "exciting stuff first, then the more practical stuff like HoLs later).

Another thing working against us is the prohibition on giving thank-yous for taking the time to do the labs. The labs are managed very tightly and as such we can't do giveaways because they "might cause crowding". *blink* *rolleyes*
If you read this blog entry and you're at TechEd, come on over to the HoLs, take the labs, talk to the proctors (we're all Tablet Team members) and we'll take care of you. *wink*

Come to think of it, if you read this blog entry and you're at TechEd, come to either the pavilion booth or the HoLs and see me. If you mention you saw my blog, I'll try to take care of you too...

My buddy Trent and I took a couple of hours to gather schwag from the various exhibitor booths. This year's show is a bit better than last year's in those terms, but that's not saying much.  This year's themes seem to be managing IT assets more effectively and mobile connectivity.

Anyways, back to the pavilion booth for me, got to go man the battle stations for the open exhibit area til 9pm tonight!